Writing off Windows Phone 7 is kinda like writing off the iPad. People who write off the iPad don't really know who that device is targeted at and why it has those capabilities. The same applies, I think, for WinPho 7. I really think Microsoft has finally brought some decent innovation to the table with this UI. It's not nearly as innovative as what Apple pulled off with the first iPhone, but it's certainly innovative. Putting all that social networking stuff up front and employing native aggregator apps for example is a great start. Ditto for xbox live integration. Setting a stringent hardware spec too is quite a good touch for Microsoft too, which is otherwise always plagued by the problem of not having enough control on hardware.

I am curious to see how Apple responds. And there are places here where actually might face limits. For example, it can't create a home screen like what Microsoft has built because iPhone users have now gotten used to the grid home screen with specific apps on that page. The next iphone launch is going to be interesting for sure.

I dunno. I used an older version of WinMo and I hated it so much that I'm pretty skeptical of the new version.

I'm very interested to see if the new Android phones from ATT would look good to me.

Watch the video from Barcelona. The MS guy said Win Mo 7 is a ground up re-write, everything is completely new. It's a big step forward in mobile OS design, definately the result of a lot of thought and planning. To me it looks to be as big a leap over the iPhone (and to a lesser extend, Android) as the iPhone was over previous phones.

Likely you are right, but I have difficulty getting past "Once burned, twice shy".

My experience with the locked-down world of the iPhone makes me quite leery of Apple products in general. I suspect that the types of frustrations I experience with the iPhone would likewise crop up if I bought a Mac. And I know without any doubt that the locked-down iSore is a very limiting factor in the enjoyment of iOS based products. I am used to choosing my software and my vendor, and I object to some big multinational corporation doing the choosing for me.

So too, my experience with WinMo makes me leery.

But there are so many interesting choices coming to market, that I see no need to pay much attention to either Microsoft or its little cousin.

^ Interesting take. I've never thought off WinMo as locked down, especially in relation to an iPhone. I've held off getting an iPhone because the level of control on that platform bothers me. A Mac is not really restricted at all, so I enjoy having one. To have a phone where you can only get apps from one highly censored store is disconcerting. I shouldn't have to jailbreak my handset to be able to do what I want with my device.

That's why I am excited to finally see some decent competition for the iPhone. This version of WinMo presents a unique counterpoint to the iPhone's grid based OS. For any heavy social media user, I actually think this device might be far more intuitive device to use than an iPhone.

I also think the iPhone is reaching the limits of its OS innovations. Some major changes will be needed soon and I don't know how willing Apple is, for example, to move away from things like the pages of apps on a grid. We'll see when iPhone 4 comes out. But I am not optimistic that they'll change something people have really gotten used to. And here Windows has a good second mover advantage. Whether they capitalize on it, remains to be seen.

I am eagerly waiting on the sidelines though to see how things shake out between Windows Phone 7, the iPhone and Android before I jump in. My Nokia 5800 'dumbphone' (I always find it remarkable what people call dumbphones these days) still has plenty of life left on it!

especially in relation to an iPhone. I've held off getting an iPhone because the level of control on that platform bothers me. A Mac is not really restricted at all, so I enjoy having one. To have a phone where you can only get apps from one highly censored store is disconcerting. I shouldn't have to jailbreak my handset to be able to do what I want with my device.

That's why I am excited to finally see some decent competition for the iPhone. This version of WinMo presents a unique counterpoint to the iPhone's grid based OS. For any heavy social media user, I actually think this device might be far more intuitive device to use than an iPhone.

I'll try to keep an open mind. But its not coming out until after my new refurb iPhone goes on eBay, so its not really a choice for me this time around.

AnandTech has released a review of Windows Phone 7 Series. It's rhe most thorough and balance article I've read as he was able to get hold of a model. It's worth the read...

T

he WP7S dev team knows it has this hard work cut out for them, but what we've seen so far is a promising and compelling deviation from the past. They've demonstrated they're not afraid to purge themselves of the old, and start anew.

It's a philosophy that's radical for Microsoft, a company that has built its empire on backwards compatibility. To have a key OS team within Microsoft accepting the fact that sometimes you need to douse the place, light a match and walk away is huge. That's exactly what Windows Phone 7 Series feels like.

http://www.anandtech.com/gadgets/showdoc.aspx?i=3774
I doubt the MS will convince me to get a WinPh7-based device but at least I feel MS is moving in the right direction. And love it or hate it, this will help push Apple to make a better phone for their customers. For MS' sake I hope they continue down this road and apply it other areas of business.

PS: If you don't read the article at least watch this short YouTube video of MS explaining why 3rd-party applications won't run in the background right away, even using an anecdotal story as a good explanation. It sounds unsurprising like another company we know...

AnandTech has released a review of Windows Phone 7 Series. It's rhe most thorough and balance article I've read as he was able to get hold of a model. It's worth the read...

T

he WP7S dev team knows it has this hard work cut out for them, but what we've seen so far is a promising and compelling deviation from the past. They've demonstrated they're not afraid to purge themselves of the old, and start anew.

It's a philosophy that's radical for Microsoft, a company that has built its empire on backwards compatibility. To have a key OS team within Microsoft accepting the fact that sometimes you need to douse the place, light a match and walk away is huge. That's exactly what Windows Phone 7 Series feels like.

http://www.anandtech.com/gadgets/showdoc.aspx?i=3774
I doubt the MS will convince me to get a WinPh7-based device but at least I feel MS is moving in the right direction. And love it or hate it, this will help push Apple to make a better phone for their customers. For MS' sake I hope they continue down this road and apply it other areas of business.

PS: If you don't read the article at least watch this short YouTube video of MS explaining why 3rd-party applications won't run in the background right away, even using an anecdotal story as a good explanation. It sounds unsurprising like another company we know...

Thanks for that link. Read the article and am interested how people will react when they find out:
no multitasking
no cut-copy-paste
no open platform: all apps need to be approved by M$
mandatory 5MP + flash camera
no SD slot support

I do think it's a first for M$ to start something from scratch, rather than working on backward compatibility. But with only 14 applications so far, I don't think they can say 'there's an app for that' at launch.

And from their forum member 'lifeblood':
" Each time you run the application, WP7S will check that application's signature against the marketplace, both to check that it's valid, and that hasn't been revoked. Yes, marketplace has an application kill-switch."
So if I'm out of range of a cell tower and I try to launch a app, it won't run because it can't call home? That's not very helpful, especially if it's a GPS app that I want to use to find my way back home.

Haven't read anything on the email client on this phone. Anyone found an article on that?
This M$ phone is not for me, but to each his own.
Phil

Thanks for that link. Read the article and am interested how people will react when they find out:
no multitasking
no cut-copy-paste
no open platform: all apps need to be approved by M$
mandatory 5MP + flash camera
no SD slot support

Don't forget the Push Notification Server, something Android has and Palm said they were going to offer. It's a great solution for most needs, but it's just not a solution for a select few app types.

It's funny that all these reasons they are giving as to why this is the right way to go could have been pulled right from Apple's PR. I'm pretty much laughing at those trolls that called Apple's vision a lameduck because it didn't have all those things mentioned above, while commending MS for their effort so far.

In MS' defense, they won't have copy/paste out of the gate, but they have demonstrated a method for transporting text and content around. It's pretty much copy/paste without the clipboard. From the demo, it looks very user friendly. (I'm still waiting for Android and WebOS to get this right and complete throughout the OS )

Quote:

I do think it's a first for M$ to start something from scratch, rather than working on backward compatibility. But with only 14 applications so far, I don't think they can say 'there's an app for that' at launch.

Clippy, MS Bob come to mind.

With a good 6 months before launch and what looks to be a proper SDK, unless the crap Palm pushed for WebOS, I have a feeling that there will be several thousand apps come launch day. This is where MS' money and power can really assist them. They can push larges wads money toward 3rd-party devs to make the platform worth checking out without bating an eyelash.

Quote:

And from their forum member 'lifeblood':
" Each time you run the application, WP7S will check that application's signature against the marketplace, both to check that it's valid, and that hasn't been revoked. Yes, marketplace has an application kill-switch."
So if I'm out of range of a cell tower and I try to launch a app, it won't run because it can't call home? That's not very helpful, especially if it's a GPS app that I want to use to find my way back home.

Haven't read anything on the email client on this phone. Anyone found an article on that?
This M$ phone is not for me, but to each his own.
Phil

This will likely be like the way the Zune handles this issue or better so I don't see this as being a problem at all.

PS: I have to admit that I'm considerably more excited about Windows Phone 7 Series than I am about the iPad. I'll likely never trade in my iPhone for a Win7 Phone but I think this will be very good for us iPhone users as this is solid effort by MS and one that directly competes with the iPhone.

Dick Applebaum on whether the iPad is a personal computer: "BTW, I am posting this from my iPad pc while sitting on the throne... personal enough for you?"